


The Blossoming of Louise Dagsi (Ang Pagdadalaga ni Louise Dagsi)

by esbis, Essi_Magwayen



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anak ko si Adrian, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 18:57:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16540271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esbis/pseuds/esbis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Essi_Magwayen/pseuds/Essi_Magwayen
Summary: Sabi nila...The delicate sweep of soft bristles from the brush flicks off from the surface of her face. The excess powder from the blush floats away and disrupts the stagnant dust particles. It puts them in motion. They rouse the other particles from the window pane and as it rises, it catches the soft yellow hue from the sunset, sinking behind the white wooden blinds. Light fractures and flicks against the minute specks.Isang beses lang daw ‘to mangyayari sa buhay ng isang dalaga...Louise's eyelids dip with the weight of the powder on her lids. Her eyes soften as her thickened lashes separate, staring past the makeup artist's shoulder and letting the light bore into her eyes.Sigurado ako,handa na ‘ko.





	The Blossoming of Louise Dagsi (Ang Pagdadalaga ni Louise Dagsi)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [esbis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/esbis/gifts).



> The title for this reminiscent of Direk Auraeus Solito's "Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros".
> 
> This one's for [@alamangoes](https://twitter.com/alamangoes) / [esbis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/esbis/pseuds/esbis). I just wanted to write her anaks (OCs). I love them. Protect them.

 

 

 

 

 

Strands of thick, black, silky hair swiftly cascades down her shoulders when deft fingers release a few pins that held it in place just a few seconds ago. The same set of fingers carefully run through her hair, massaging her scalp along its path. It slides under a portion of her hair and the strands are gently pulled back. Her head stirs along with the motion of her hair as it is woven in place at her crown.

She catches the residing scent of hair products and cosmetics fused with the suite’s refreshing, yet musky perfume. Her mother’s cheerful voice chimes in the background along with the humming of the air conditioning, padding of footsteps and shuffling of makeup brushes and containers, of which, all fell into white noise behind her closed lids.

_Sabi nila..._

The delicate sweep of soft bristles from the brush flicks off the surface of her face. The excess powder from the blush floats away and disrupts the stagnant dust particles. It puts them in motion. They rouse the other particles from the window pane and as it rises, it catches the soft yellow hue from the sunset, sinking behind the white wooden blinds. Light fractures and flicks against the minute specks.

_Isang beses lang daw ‘to mangyayari sa buhay ng isang dalaga..._

Louise's eyelids dip with the weight of the powder on her lids. Her eyes soften as her thickened lashes separate, staring past the makeup artist's shoulder and letting the light bore into her eyes.

_Sigurado ako,_

_handa na ‘ko._

    

> _Bright light slowly fades in, in the distance.  A shadow falls deeper behind her, creating a silhouette of her tall and elegant figure. Atop her crown is her hair woven into an intricate braid, decorated with pins of jeweled flowers that holds it in place. Decorative carnation pink flowers sits on an ensemble of folded tulle and chiffon across her shoulders. The flowers spread down to her chest and ia together by her figure hugging silk top.The heavy wash of pink from the top of her one-piece jumpsuit gracefully fades where the satin ends. The smooth and elegant white fabric from her skirt cascades down and pools over the red carpet under by the point of her heels._
> 
> _She feels the weight of everyone’s eyes on her. But in the sea of people, only one set of eyes felt the heaviest. She knows they’re on her. Waiting for her._
> 
> _She feels her heart race inside her chest, her skin vibrating with excitement. Her eyelids dip once and a radiating smile tugs on her lips. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. She stares down at her feet. This is it._
> 
> Handa na ‘ko,
> 
>                                   mahal.
> 
> _Slowly her head rises. Her lashes separate. Wide and bright eyes stare at the other end of the aisle across the room:_
> 
> _Where she wishes she found_ her _eyes, staring back at her._

 

          “... The debutante! Ms. Louise Dagsi!”

Lou’s eyes immediately snaps open. She straightens up just in time as the spotlight is placed on her. The crowd from either side of the aisle cheers. A stupid smile spreads across her lips as she laughs to herself. She knows for herself that she got too entranced with her daydreams for tonight. She awkwardly strides across the aisle with as much confidence as she could in time with the upbeat music.

There is an audible chorus of gasps and praises when her audience full of family and friends lay their eyes on the debutante's attire. It may have been their first time seeing a debutante whose figure isn’t buried under a princess dress with many layers of tulle, and is instead dressed with a body hugging, crepe back, satin jumpsuit. Nevertheless, Lou knows she look fantastic. Lou simply smirks at them. She knew it’d be a controversy, but really, what about her isn’t?

The volume of her entrance song lowers and she finally takes her spot on center stage. Her mere presence that stands, dressed in her controversially edgy formal attire, plasters the brightest smile on her classmates’ faces. Adrian, her _kuya_ , with an even bigger smile, gave his opening remarks beginning with flattery that he showers upon Louise who absolutely served the look for tonight.

She thanks her _kuya_ , knowing full well that he is the number one person who defended the attire she wanted for her night even with their mother upset. They share a knowing look.

He does more introductions and while he speaks, Louise scans the sea of people in front of her. She spots her closest cousins, some of her relatives and other distant relatives she’s never met before. Her eyes move to the other side of the room and there she finds her high school classmates. And on the table nearest to the stage, are the faces she is more familiar with, her barkada: Eman, Beatrice, Annelise, Chet and of course, Jet. They all look unbelievably dashing.

Warmth spreads across her skin, seemingly overwhelmed by the love her family and friends have been giving her. She suddenly realizes there was more person she hasn’t seen yet. She scans the room once more, searching for the one pair of eyes she’s been daydreaming of seeing since she woke up in the morning. Her eyes pan farther to the left.

         “Magbigay naman tayo ng masigabong palakpakan!” She hears Adrian say.

The room fills with another chorus of applause, and there; she sees her.

Her soft ringlets that frame her face are once again pulled into an updo. Her lighter and warmer toned skin glows, it brightens the smile on her face. Her slanted eyes disappears in her wide smile, like how it always does when she is inexplicably happy. Her lashes separate.

And Lou finally meets her eyes.

She giggles, curls shaking around her face, and waves at her.

_God she is so beautiful._

A wave of heat rushes across Lou’s cheeks. She feels the warmth striking and tingling across every inch of her skin to the tips of her fingers. Inside her chest, she feels her heart flutter. Her hand involuntarily makes its way up to her chest to try and calm down her poor racing heart, aching to be near her. She can’t take her eyes off her. It feels weird. This night, when everything is supposed to be about her, when she should be the center of attention; she is the moon, the stars and the sky that holds everything together. Tonight, there isn’t supposed to be anyone who outshun her… And yet, she seems to have forgotten why they were here altogether.

It feels like a dream; how the audience’s applause slows, her vision blurs out the rest of the world, and it is only May she sees clearly. It’s as if she is seeing her for the first time again. And at this moment she wishes time could be frozen.

         “At syempre sisimulan natin ang gabing ito sa isang panalangin.”

Adrian’s voice rings through her head, but it feels faint and distant. She lets her body’s muscle memory carry out the sign of the cross. She notices the crowd before her shut their eyes and bow their heads. She does the same. And the prayer begins.

Somewhere along the prayer, Adrian gives for thanks.

 

Somewhere along the prayer, Adrian gives thanks. As everyone united in the solemnity of silence, Lou takes this moment. To inch one of her eyes open. She takes a peek at May, who also has her eyes closed. Lou can't help it. She can't take a second without looking at her. As if seeing her is the ultimatum of her comfort. She shuts her eyes with, snickering to herself. She may be condemned in the eyes of many, maybe even God, for feeling things like so, but nonetheless, she turns to the heavens to thank whichever god out there for letting her meet a May Pangilinan-Torres.

Lou's _kuya_ proceeds to bless their food tonight. _PAK!_ Adrian puts his hands together to close the prayer. His eyes shoots wide open and announces the beginning of dinner.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Her white satin train trails over the red velvet rug as she makes her way from table to table while her guests enjoy the feast. The usual Filipino party decorum occurs: a simple game to determine which table walks to the buffet first, Lou's friends aggressively competing for the first spot, photo opportunities with the debutante, the star of the night walking through her crowd of loved ones and greeting them one by one. The intimate space filled up to around a hundred individuals consisting of her friends and relatives.

 

Cheerful beats from songs of her choice fill the air. Above them seemingly crystal ornaments in shapes of leaves on vines hang low from the ceiling. It fractures the stream of lights emitting from the stage in time with the song, and scatters across the faces of her guests who kept the venue alive with chattering and laughter.

 

 

* * *

 

  

 

Dinner passes and Louise resumes her place at the middle of the stage after the silk sheet of her skirt trails after her. Alas, one of the most awaited parts in any debutante's party is soon to begin: the list of 18 men that have made a mark in Louise’s life. One by one, at the side of the stage, those men line up for their name to called. She turns her head and beams at them. She spots her titos, her pinsans, her friends, all the men she listed on her invites.

 

Adrian announces the first rose; the first man to ever become a part in Louise’s life. The first beats of a sweet, mellow tune plays. The excitement in her eyes soften as she meets the eyes of the very first man in her life. A soft beat drops and her father’s hand wraps around her smaller one while the other slips over her waist. She feels his hands holding her firmly. Warmth spreads across Louise’s chest. She remembers nothing of the time when she was born, but as she steps in time with the music with her father’s guidance, she knows, that this was always how her father held her; ready to catch her if she takes a misstep. She stares into her father’s eyes, and her vision starts to blur.

Louise laughs as a few tears spill. Much to her surprise, her father shares the same wet streak on his cheek. Louise throws her arms around her father’s shoulders and he holds her tight as they sway to the music.

         “Hindi na baby ‘yung anak ko,” he mumbles through his cracked voice and tears.

She giggles under her father’s arms and her eyes shut. Contentment fills her heart.

The song finally switches! Louise tiptoes to press a light kiss on her father’s cheek. He holds her in place as Adrian announces her second rose. He buries a kiss on her hair before she guides her hand onto the palm of the next man.

Her hand is passed, from one man to another. With each man, the 18th rose grows ever nearer. Louise scans the intimate space of her venue over the shoulder of her what she has counted as her 15th rose. Her audience who sits on their respective tables, stares at back at her and her partner. With each man that holds her hand in turn for their rose, the sparkle in her guests’ eyes grow brighter; a burning eagerness to be witness of the most important man in Louise’s life.

 

As the song smoothly switches, Louise’s hand is passed to Adrian’s palm. Her _kuya_. Her 17th rose; wherein without he, she would not be.

They capture each other’s bright smile. But the slightest hint of worry colors Louise’s however. Adrian sees it too.

   

> _It’s a peculiar phenomenon for Louise; how the symbol of the 18_ _th_ _rose holds so much power over any debutante's night. Nothing of the several programs arranged in debutante's party equates to the weight of the 17_ _th_ _or 18_ _th_ _rose. It is always the_ titas’ _and the parents’_ kapit-bahays’ _favorite segment of the party: as they are granted the satisfaction of finally catching a glimpse of their debutante's romance, and thus being “permitted” to gossip about the debutante that they so love doing. As if it is the only purpose for their attendance._

  
The two, fully aware of the number of roses in Louise’s hand. And Adrian, looks at her with reassurance. 

          “Kahit anong mangyari Lou, I’m on your side.”

And Adrian winks at her with a bright and reassuring smile. She lets out her breath she was holding in an airy snicker. She steps forward and pulls her arms around her brother. They hold on to each other tightly. They hold on to each other for support, like they always have. Whatever happens, they have each other.

   

>   _Quite a peculiar phenomenon indeed, letting the history of her country dictate that her 18_ _th_ _rose enables the blossoming of her womanhood._

 

Adrian pulls away.

  

> _And maybe…_

 

They lock eyes once more; in Louise’s a look of hesitance, terrified even— A series of _what ifs_ sprints across her head in a matter of milliseconds—  _kuya?!—_  And in Adrian’s; a calm, easy and determined smile. _You will be fine._

  

>   _This time,_  

 

Adrian finally lets go of her hand. The intimate space vibrates with energy as the guests hold their breaths. Not a single pair of eyes looked elsewhere but the stage.

   

> _they’re right._

 

An overwhelming air of dead silence washes over Louise. The hairs on her skin rises at the anxiety of being the center, with all eyes on her, stripping her naked and soon to bear all that she bears within—

 

And the song plays.

A [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzbU5p7SMPo) she knows she didn’t choose.

  

> _“Sir I’m a bit nervous,_
> 
> _‘bout being here today,_
> 
> _still not real sure, what I’m going to say,”_

—her hands lift up to cover her mouth with her palms. Her the audience, the lights, the venue becomes a blur as tears fill her eyes when the sound of the music sets her skin alive. Her palms try to hold in the sob as every word of the ballad strikes through her chest.

Her audience is delighted in the telanovela playing out before their eyes. They swoon in tune with the chosen song:

> “ _See in this box is a ring for your oldest,_
> 
> _she's my everything and all that I know is,_
> 
> _it would be such a relief if I knew that we were on the same side,_ ”

_A_ _song of proposal! The man who is braving this night to let everyone be witness of his proposal:_  

> _“Cause very soon I’m hoping that I...”_

100 people sits on the edge of their seat— 

> _“Can marry your daughter,”_

And a woman— 

> _“And make her my wife,”_

In the name of May Pangilinan-Torres— 

> _“I want her to be the only girl that I love for the rest of my life,_
> 
> _and give her the best of me 'til the day that I die,_ _”_

—takes her hand. 

> _“I'm gonna marry your princess,_
> 
> _and make her my queen,”_

—She bursts into tears and throws her arms around May—    

> _“_ _She'll be the most beautiful bride that I've ever seen,_ _”_

—the same tears fill her lover’s eyes.  

> _“Can't wait to smile,_
> 
> _when she walks down the aisle,”_

Mayella wraps her arms around Louise. She shuts her eyes and buries her nose at her lover’s neck, while they sway into the ballad, their declaration of oneness. 

 

>  “ _On the day that I marry your daughter,_ ”

  

* * *

 

 

 

As if a movie is played in silence at slow motion:

 

_The lids on their eyes grow wider. A sound of a chorused gasp erupts across the venue. Glasses and table tops clink and shake as her friends shoots up from their seat. Their hands in fists are thrown in the air while the older generation of the guests nearly falls from their chairs._

_Her 1st rose; sits, sinking into his chair, palms over his eyes in shame. Her mother; eyes widening in fear, sparkling in tears, with a palm over her mouth as she stands in complete shock. Her eldest sister, sits languidly at her table, casually sipping from her wine glass._

_And Adrian, stands by the side of the stage with teary eyes, in awe, in pride._

 

Truly, Louise blossomed at her 18th rose.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Their laughter rings across the nearly empty exterior. They sit on a couch with legs crossed with their knees, covered in pajamas, are grazing against each other’s. The light breeze from the rooftop keeps them chilly, but the warmth from the other’s skin keeps them at bay. They stare at the twinkling lights from the cityscape below them, it shines bright in contrast with the deepest color of the evening along with the sparkling stars spread across the sky.

Louise turns her head to look at May. Even under the dimmed lighting, she loses herself in the sparkle in her lover’s eyes. She has an easy and natural smile on her lips as she stares out into the view.

The debutante wishes time would stop. Wish that they live in this time forever, where everything is easy, and real, and the world isn’t get in the way.

May’s curls shake as she looks back at Louise. It almost shocks Louise like she’s never seen her beauty before. Her lover giggles at her disaster. It causes Louise to snicker as well.

They both sigh contentedly, and May uses this second to adjust herself on their seat. Louise feels the weight of her lover’s side leaning on hers. She feels her curls trapped between her crown and her own shoulder. It places a smile on Louise’s lips, and she settles to sink down on the coach, relaxed.

They lean on each other’s warm skin.

As seconds extend into minutes in the comfort of their silence, May’s arm shifts. She pulls it from resting on her thigh and lifts it back over Lou’s shoulders. Lou’s eyes shift with her sudden movement and makes a _pfffsh_ sound to brush it off once she feels the embrace. Her lover giggles when she sees Louise’s pink tinted cheeks anyway.

Louise doesn’t know how, but every time May touches her, in a second, she becomes a lot less stiff. As if she doesn’t have to be on guard.

May gently places her other palm on Louise’s cheek and stirs her head to lean at the crook of her shoulder.

 

Louise sighs into her skin. She reaches up to intertwine their fingers.

         “Grabe ‘yung eksena mo kanina,” Louise mutters.

May’s laughter rings in her ears.

         “Gulat sila eh,” Louise snickers as she shuts her eyes, reveling in the sweet scent that was May.

 

Part of her has already forgotten what happened earlier that night, the other part of her will never forget, how May, single-handedly chose a proposal song for it to be played in front of her whole family. Louise knows that she herself had been braving through the night, having it planned with her _kuya_ that her 18th rose would be May. Louise had given her the liberty to choose the song, and definitely she drew up the whole scene a level higher, stunning her with her song choice. And now, a few hours later, along with an encounter complete disappointment from her family members as she simply shrugged at them, a few drinks with Louise's barkada as they cheered for them and having changed into their pajamas, they find themselves here, alone, together at the hotel's rooftop.

 

         “Ikaw rin naman,” says May, her voice soft and light against Louise’s hair. “Umiyak ka nga sa kilig eh,”

Louise shakes as she giggles. A few seconds of silence pass and May brings her fingers up to thread them through her lover’s dark hair. Louise sighs lightly.

As Louise revels in the weight of her lover’s fingers, her head reels back to all the time they’ve spent together. If it wasn’t for that one sour day she had during their preparations for their _Sabayang Pagbigkas_ when May cheered her on despite being in different competing classes, maybe they wouldn’t even be here now.

And she wishes that May would be the one that she’ll go home to, everyday. Even with High School graduation nearing, even with their different universities, even if they won’t see each other everyday anymore; she wants to choose her. She only chooses her.

 

         “Thank you,”

The breath of her voice tickles her lover’s skin.

         “For choosing me.”

 

The features on her lover’s face softens. As if she had heard every little thing that was prattling inside her head, she says;

 

         “Ikaw naman lagi kong pipiliin, Lou.”

 

Even with the uncertainty of their futures, there was certainty in their choices... at least for now; where Louise wants to stay forever, where it is safe, where the world around them, and the judging eyes of many fell asleep, where they live for a few hours bearing no walls.

Her lover shifts in their seat and she pulls away to fit a finger under Louise’s chin. Their eyes find each other's. Her lover leans in;

           and together, they blossom into the endless night.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sana'y nag-enjoy kayo sa kabaklaan ng mga anak ni Stes. It was a pleasure to write them, siz. May part na habang nagsusulat ako na kinilabutan ako. Thank you for letting me write them. 
> 
> Pls support this bb and her art. Salamat!
> 
> Nandito lang ako sa [@essi_mag](https://twitter.com/essi_mag) kung kailangan niyo ng kausap.
> 
> Salamat sa pagbabasa,  
> Ingat mga mahal!


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